Honeycomb roll

ABSTRACT

A honeycomb roll is provided that employs hollow pyramidal elements secured on a tubular foundation member to form the honeycomb working surface of the roll.

[ 1 @epi. 6, 11973 1/1962 Robinson 29/121 R UX 8/1963 Bryand......... 29/121 A 6/1964 Bryanduw 29/121 R 6/1965 Glass........ 29/121 R X 7/1966 29/121 R ABSTRACT 5 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures Primary Examiner-Alfred R Gnest Attorney-Channing L. Richards, Dalbert U. Shefte et a1.

A honeycomb roll is provided that employs hollow pyramidal elements secured on a tubular foundation member to form the honeycomb working surface of the roll.

Inventor: Christoph W. Aurich, Clemson, SC.

Assignee: Gaston County Dyeing Machine Company, Mount Holly, N.C.

Mar. 31, 1972 Appl. No.: 240,010

29/121 1R Hm. B2111) 27/02 [58] Fieid of Search........ 29/121 R, 121 A, 29/12] H, 110

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2/1952 Borchard 29/121 A UX ilniied @inien Pnieni Anrieh 1 HUNEYCDMB ROLL [22] Filed:

Patented Sept. 4, 1973 3,755,869

2 Sheets-Sheet l Patented Sept. 4, 1973 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 nourvcoma ROLL BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Honeycomb rolls find considerable use for extraction or drying purposes, as in dealing with textile web material after washing. As heretofore provided such rolls have commonly been formed by constructing a network of relatively thin straight and undulated strips that were alternated in honeycomb fashion and supported between end members or on some sort of spider structure. Sometimes only alternately reversed undulating strips have been used in forming the honeycomb network. Representative examples are illustrated and described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,259,961 and No. 3,100,928.

The honeycomb network has the significance of providing a roll surface of high percentage open area that results in handling web material thereat in a substantially even manner so that surface patterns which might otherwise form in the web during subsequent handling are prevented. However, the prior practice of forming the networks from a system of strips as mentioned above is quite expensive because of the great amount of labor involved, and the present invention materially reduces costs in this respect while providing a roll structure which is sturdier and more easily adapted to varying sizes and circumstances.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Briefly described, the honeycomb roll of the present invention is characterized by a plurality of truncated pyramidal elements which are hollowed on a taper from narrow base edges, in combination with a tubular foundation member having a pattern of openings formed through the wall thereof at which the pyramidal elements are secured to juxtapose their base edges outwardly as the working surface of the roll and to provide communication through the tapered hollows of the elements to the interior of the roll.

When the pyramidal elements are shaped hexagonally, as in the preferred embodiment described further below, the resulting honeycomb network is comparable to those resulting from the strip construction heretofore in use, although any pyramidal shape (i.e., square, triangular, etc.) can be used in the same manner. Also, while the pyramidal elements will usually be formed and used to the best advantage as single units, in the manner of the preferred embodiment, they can also be provided in integrated clusters and secured on the foundation member at common openings for each cluster.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration exemplifying the manner in which honeycomb rolls embodying the present invention may be used;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of a honeycomb roll constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a vertical section taken at the line 3-3 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a partial side elevation of the tubular foundation member used in the FIG. 2 roll;

FIG. 5 is a section detail taken at the line 5--5 in FIG. 2 to illustrate the arrangement employed for securing the pyramidal elements in place on the foundation member;

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of one of the pyramidal elements shown in FIG. 5; and

FIG. 7 is a corresponding bottom plan view.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In FIG. I of the drawings, a honeycomb roll is represented at 10 arranged with a stationary suction box l2 therein for extraction purposes, with a following larger sized honeycomb roll arranged for drying, so that a textile web W may be trained over them successively as shown for extraction and drying following washing or the like. The illustrated arrangement is such that a high velocity air flow is pulled through the honeycomb network of the roll 10 by the suction box 112 to extract a good percentage of the moisture ahead of the drying stage and thereby materially lessen the drying load.

The drying roll W0 is suitably arranged within a bank of heater lamps 102 or the like shielded by a hood 104 and extending about roll M0 for substantially the full extent of the wrap of web W thereon. Internally the roll 100 is provided with a suction means at 106 and a stationary baffle at 108 that reaches arcuately within that portion of the roll circumference at which the web W does not wrap, so that the suction means 106 induces a low velocity air flow between the heater bank 102 and the remaining circumferential portion of the honeycomb network of roll 1100 to dry the web W before it is taken away over an idler 110..

Honeycomb rolls constructed according to the present invention are well adapted for use in such arrangements, or in any other situation in which honeycomb rolls have heretofore found use, and they are readily formed in any size desired. FIGS. 2 and 3 indicate the general arrangement of a representative roll structure embodying the invention in which four truncated pyramidal elements are shown at M as they would be arranged with others in forming the honeycomb network of the roll. The tubular foundation member 16 on which the pyramidal elements 114 are mounted is rolled to tubular form from a flat sheet that has been punched with a pattern of apertures 18 forming the openings through the foundation member wall in which the elements M are secured as noted further below.

The rolled sheet forming the foundation member M is held in tubular form by a longitudinal weld seam 20 running between and flush with each edge of apertures 18 that bridge the seam, and is fitted with end rings 22 that are welded in place to rigidify the tubular form and to allow end flanges 24 to be bolted in place for riding (in a manner not shown) on rolls supported by radial arms to carry the roll structure for rotation as is usual. One of the end flanges 24 is further fitted with a pulley 26 or sprocket or other comparable means adapted for connection to drive the roll rotation.

FIG. 5 shows the manner in which the pyramidal elements 14 are mounted on the foundation member 16 and also, together with FIGS. 6 and 7, details the particular form of the elements M. As seen in FIGS. 5, 6 and 7, the elements M have a truncated pyramidal form with a cross section of hexagonal shape, and are hollowed on a taper, as at 2%, from narrow base edges 30 to an axially aligned tubular shank portion 32 which is proportioned for reception and securing within one of the foundation member openings W. The shank portion 32 is of reduced diameter in relation to the hexagonal shape of the elements 14 so as to shoudler the same at 34, and the shank portion 32 extends beyond this shoulder 34 in correspondence with the wall thickness of foundation member 16 so that a lip or bead 36 formed at the extending end thereof can be seated in a chamfer 38 at the inner edge of the foundation member openings 18 to secure the elements 14 in place.

This securing arrangement is particularly effective when the foundation member 16 is formed of stainless steel and the elements 14 of a molded, glass fiber reinforced, polyester resin. With such a combination the elements 14 are installed by simply pressing them into place through the foundation member openings 18. The pattern of openings 18 in the foundation member 16 is arranged so that the element base edges 30 are juxtaposed when the elements 14 are secured in place, and the pyramidal form of the elements 14 is shaped so that the element side faces 40 are also juxtaposed upon installation, as seen in FIG. 5.

When the elements 14 are intended for use where high velocity air flow therethrough is required, as in the case of the previously mentioned extraction roll 10, it is advantageous to form them additionally with a central partition 42 extending between corners of the hexagon cross section and throughout the tapered hollow 28 therein and the tubular shank 32 as well, and to install the elements 14 with this central partitioning 42 aligned with the axis of the foundation member 16, as indicated in FIG. 2. The purpose of such partitioning 42 is to provide the equivalent of continuous wall portions compartmenting the elements 141 lengthwise of the foundation member 36 that will align with the walls of a suction box 12 employed within an extraction roll 10 (see W6. 1) and thereby minimize the area of the honeycomb network subject to the suction box influence at any one time as the roll rotates, so that the air flow velocity will be maintained at a maximum. Such partitioning 42, however, is not necessary for low velocity applications, such as the drying roll H in FIG. 1, and it may not be necessary either where the elements 14 have a cross section, such as square, capable of providing comparably continuous wall portions.

The present invention has been described in detail above for purposes of illustration only and is not intended to be limited by this description or otherwise to exclude any variation or equivalent arrangement that would be apparent from, or reasonably suggested by, the foregoing disclosure to the skill of the art.

l claim:

1. In a honeycomb roll, a plurality of truncated pyramidal elements which are hollowed on a taper from narrow base edges, in combination with a tubular foundation member having a pattern of openings formed through the wall thereof at which said pyramidal elements are secured to juxtapose the base edges of said elements outwardly as the working surface of said honeycomb roll and to provide communication through the tapered hollows of said elements to the interior of the roll.

2. In a honeycomb roll, the combination defined in claim 1 wherein said truncated pyramidal elements taper interiorly from the base edges thereof to axially aligned tubular shank portions formed on said elements at the truncated ends thereof, and said shank portions are received and secured within the openings through said foundation member roll.

3. In a honeycomb roll, the combination defined in claim 2 wherein said truncated pyramidal elements are partitioned centrally throughout the extent of the tapered hollows therein and of the shank portions thereon, and wherein said shank portions are secured within said foundation memberopenings with said element partitioning aligned with the axis of said foundation member.

4. In a honeycomb roll, the combination defined in claim 3 wherein said truncated pyramidal elements are hexagonal in cross section and said central partitioning extends between corners of said cross section.

5. in a honeycomb roll, the combination defined in claim 1 wherein said truncated pyramidal elements are shaped so that the side faces thereof are also juxtaposed when said elements are secured on said foundation member. 

1. In a honeycomb roll, a plurality of truncated pyramidal elements which are hollowed on a taper from narrow base edges, in combination with a tubular foundation member having a pattern of openings formed through the wall thereof at which said pyramidal elements are secured to juxtapose the base edges of said elements outwardly as the working surface of said honeycomb roll and to provide communication through the tapered hollows of said elements to the interior of the roll.
 2. In a honeycomb roll, the combination defined in claim 1 wherein said truncated pyramidal elements taper interiorly from the base edges thereof to axially aligned tubular shank portions formed on said elements at the truncated ends thereof, and said shank portions are received and secured within the openings through said foundation member roll.
 3. In a honeycomb roll, the combination defined in claim 2 wherein said truncated pyramidal elements are partitioned centrally throughout the extent of the tapered hollows therein and of the shank portions thereon, and wherein said shank portions are secured within said foundation member openings with said element partitioning aligned with the axis of said foundation member.
 4. In a honeycomb roll, the combination defined in claim 3 wherein said truncated pyramidal elements are hexagonal in cross section and said central partitioning extends between corners of said cross section.
 5. In a honeycomb roll, the combination defined in claim 1 wherein said truncated pyramidal elements are shaped so that the side faces thereof are also juxtaposed when said elements are secured on said foundation member. 